Multiple compartment can



S. RUBENSTEIN MULTIPLE COMPARTMEINT CAN July 29, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1Filed Dec. 6, 1947 I' 3' 3mm y 29, 1952 s. RUBENSTEIN MULTIPLECOMPARTMENT CAN 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1947 Patented July 29,1952 Solomon Rubenstein, Providence, R. I.

Application December 6, 1947, Serial No. 790,183

My present invention relates to sheet metal containers and moreparticularly to a sheet metal container having a plurality of sealedcompartments.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a containerhaving a plural ty of hermetically sealed sections.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a containerhaving a plurality of compartments which can be removed and discarded aseach is emptied.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multiplecompartment container which is simple in construction and easy andeconomicalto'manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features'in view, myinvention consists ofja novel arrangement of parts, more fully disclosedin the detailed description following, in

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative form of can embodying myinvention;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view, partially broken away, showing thewall construction of the same; and r Fig. 8 is a perspective view ofthesame show:

ing the compartments in separated relation.

In packing cofiee and similar products, it is customary to vacuum packthem in a sheet metal can. 'The difiiculty arises when the consumeropens the can and exposes the contents to the atmosphere. The aroma andflavor deteriorate before the contents are consumed. To overcome thisdifficulty, it has been proposed to provide the container with two ormore compartments so that a, portion only of the contents are exposed atone time. However, the resultant container is bulky, unwieldy, anddifficult and expensive" to manufacture and assemble.

The present invention is designed to overcome these defects by providinga multiple compartment can of simple construction which has a 2 Claims.(01. 221F single cover for all thecompartments, and which permitstheremoval and disposal of the empty compartmentsin turn without affectingthe remainingcompartments. For purposes of illustration, I have shown'my present invention as applied to 'a two compartment can, it beingunderstood that it can similarly .be applied to cans with three or morecompartments. Figs. 1 to 3 shows an embodiment wherein the coverembraces the walls of the can, and Figs. 6 to 8 wherein the cover fitsinto'the walls.

Referring more in detail to thedrawings illustrating my invention, thecan shown in Fig. 1 comprises tubular, sheet metal, body portions [0 andll in the .formof cylindrical shells seamed, as at [2 .and,l.3. Theupper ..edge ofthe' portion I0 is constructedand closedintheconventional manner, Figs. 1 and 2. A band I4 is inserted below theupper edge andis provided with a rolled top edge 15, a stiffeningbeadl6, and a lower bead ll which projects and locks into a bead- 'formed.in the body portion In. The outer wall 10 is scored in the conventionalmanner, as at l9, adjacent the band I4, to provide a tearing strip whichcan be twisted off with a key starting at the tongue 20.

The upper end of the can is closed bya closure member 2|, its perimetercrimped over the top edgeof the portion ID to form a seam 22. 1 When theportion I9 is removed with a key, a portion of .the'body I0 remainsattached to" the cover 2| t forma-depending' flange 23. In using thecover, the flange23 slides over the inserted band I4 to hold the coverln place.

The portions l0 and II are joined as shown in Fig. 2. A separating plate24 forms the bottom of the upper compartment and its edge is crimpedtogether with the lower edge of theporticn l0 and the upper edge of theportion II to form a seam 25. Directly below the seam 25, a band 26 is.inserted, similar to the band, and having a head 2! locking into a bead28 in the body portion H. Between the bead 28 and seem '25, theportion'H is scored to form a tearing strip 29 havinga starting tongue30.'

The bottom 3 l is attached similarly tothetop 2|, its edge being crimpedover the bottom edge of the portion H .to form a seam 32. The seams 22,25 and 32 may be furtherv sealed with a suitable rubber' or plasticsealing compound, if desired.

In use,"the plate 24 divides the can into a plurality of individuallysealed compartments. When'the 'strip-l9 is removed, only the contents ofthe upper portion 10' are exposed to the. air.

When this is empty, the strip 29 is torn off. This will separate theupper and lower portions, Fig. 3, and open the lower portion. The upperportion can now be discarded and the cover 2| will fit over the band 26and serve as the cover for the lower, remaining portion of the can.

By adding as many separating plates as desired, and with theconstruction illustrated, as many compartments as required may beprovided in a single can. The intermediate seam strengthens the can andpermits the use of thinner sheet metal in the body portions, thus savingweight and cost. In addition to preserving the contents, such acontainer can be used to package different food mixtures such as chowmein in one section with the dried noodles in the other section.

The conventional keys for opening vacuum cans usually comprise a handleand straight shank having a slot forengaging the starting tongue. Thenarrow hub provided by this key requires many turns before'the stripisremoved. and the strip has a tendency to slip off before the can isopened. Furthermore, this type of lrey is somewhat awkwardto use ontheintermediate strip 29. I therefore provide keys having wide hubs onwhich to wind the stripwith less turns to prevent, slipping. The key 33,Fig. 4, has a handle portion 34 and an integral rectangular portion 35with a slot 35' adjacent In Figs. 6 to 8 I have illustrated my inventionas applied to the type of can wherein the cover fits inside of the bodyof the can, thus eliminating the inserted bands. Referring to Figs. 6 to8, the can comprises body portions 4i and 42 of tubular sheet metalseamed at 43 and similarly to the can shown in Fig. 1. The upper edge ofthe portion M is reentrantly bent to form a triple fold 45. The outerlayer of the fold d5 isscored to form the tearing strip 46 and extendsupwardly to lock with the cover 4.! at the seam 48.

' The body of the cover 41 is bent downwardly to form a depending U-bend49 which fits snugly behind the fold 45. It can thusbe seen that whenthe strip 46- is removed, a double fold of material still remains of theoriginal triple fold 45. The U-bend 49 slides behind this to permit thecover to seal the'canwithout the use of aninserted band.

Where the portions 4! and 42 are joined, the upper edge of theportion 42is first formed into a triple fold 50 similar to the fold .45 and 'hav-.ing ascored tearing strip 5!. A separating plate 52 is disposed betweenthev portions 41 and 42 and serves as the bottom of the upper portion4|. The edge of the plate 52 is joined. with .the lower edge of theportion 4| and the upper edge of the portion 42 at a seam 53. Removingthe strip 5| will thus separate the portions 4! and 42 and will permitthe empty upper portion to be discarded as in the construction shown inFig. 1. The bottom 54 is seamed to the bottom edge of the portion 42 at55. When the portion H is discarded, the cover 41 is used on theremaining portion 42, the depending U-bend 49 fitting behind the fold50.

The illustrated forms thus provide a multiple compartment can in whicheach compartment is removed and discarded in turn when empty, the singlecover successively fitting the next succeeding compartment. The can issimple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture andassemble, the horizontal seams intermediate the upper and lower endspermitting the use of a comparatively thinner body metal than now in useon single type cans.

While I have described certain specific embodiments of my invention, itis obvious that changes may readily be made in the size, shape, andrelative arrangement of parts, without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container "comprising a tubular, sheet metal body portion, saidbody portion comprising a plurality of tubular members seamed togetherat'their end edges, the lowermost of said tubular members having abottom plate seamed thereto and the uppermost of said tubular membershaving a top plate seamed thereto, and a separating plate seamed intosaid body portion between said tubular members at their seamed end edgesdividing the said body portion into a plurality of sealed compartments,said body portion. being provided with an integral circumferential-tearstrip adjacent the upper edge of each of said tubular members permittingthe release of the top of the container to form a cover and permittingthe separation of the tubular members and their correspondingcompartments from the container, each of said compartments having aninternal circumferential lip portion extending upwardly beyond the loweredge of the tear strip, said lip portions being of equal diameter,whereby said cover will fit over the lip portion on the uppermostcompartment and will fit over the next uppermost compartment to form acover therefor after the uppermost compartment has been removed from thecontainer.

2. A container comprising a tubular, sheet metal body portion, said bodyportion comprising a plurality of tubular members seamed together attheir end edges, the lowermost of said tubular members having a bottomplate seamed thereto and the uppermost of said tubular members having atop plate seamed thereto, and a separating plate seamed into said bodyportion between said tubular members at their seamed end edges dividingthe said body portion into a plurality of sealed compartments, said bodyportion being provided with an integral circumferential tear stripadjacent the upper edge of each of said tubular members permitting therelease of the top of the container to form a cover and permitting theseparation of the tubular members and their corresponding compartmentsfrom the container, each of said compartments having an integralinternal circumferential lip portion extending upwardly beyond the loweredge of the tear strip, said. lip portions being of equal diameter,whereby said cover will fit over the lip portion on the uppermostcompartment and will fit over the next uppermost compartment to form acover therefor after the uppermost compartment has been removed from thecontainer.

SOLOMON RUBENSTEIN.

(References on following page) 5 e 6 REFERENCES CITED Number Name DateThe following references are of record in the 2327312 Fink m of t t t; v1 11888 N V- 9, 19 3 2,355,108 Reese Aug. 8, 194* UNITED STATES PATENTS5 2,371,173 Hothersall Mar. 13, 1945 'Numbei' Name D te 2,375,621 BurnsMay 8, 1945 687,654 Rubin Nov. 26, 1901 2,488,528 Erb Mar. 22, 19491,823,068 Stollberg Sept. 15, 1931 1,880,250 Hopkins Oct. 4, 1932FOREIGN PAIENIS 2,052,475 Jones et a1. Aug. 25, 1936 10 Number CountryDate 2,073,636 Holoubek Mar. 16, 193': 582-306 Gemany 1933 2,326,191Zabler Aug. 10, 1943

